Dayton Air Strikers head into playoff run in PBL

     Heading into the 2nd half of the season, the Dayton Air Strikers are embarking on the most important week of their season. The season has been a roller coaster of a ride, starting off by winning the PBL Pre-Season tournament, then losing 3 of its first 4 games of the regular season. Now sitting at 4-6 and a 1 game lead for second place, the Air Strikers have their PBL playoff stakes in their own hands.
    

Air Strikers ready for battle

     The Air Strikers will take on Lake Michigan Admirals tonight at the Moraine Civic Center (7pm). The Admirals are 2-9 and know their playoff hopes are on life support. The Air Strikers last defeated Lake Michigan up in Michigan, and look to carry that momentum into tonights game. However, the Air Strikers will also take on PBL Champion Rochester on Thursday (7pm), then they will battle Lake Michigan on Saturday and Scranton again on Sunday, due to reschedules in the PBL. So this 4 game homestand could literally make or break the Air Strikers hopes of reaching the PBL playoffs in April.

     If the Air Strikers are to win 3 of the 4 games this week, this would put them at 7-7, sitting firmly in second place with 6 games remaining. If they can beat Scranton, then that would put Scranton 3 games behind while with 2 more games at Dayton, which would be ideal for the Air Strikers.
   
     The Air Strikers are healthy, with Aaron Perry, Avery Smith, and Brandon Russ all healed from early season injuries. The Strikers have the talent to get all the way to the PBL playoffs and beyond; Question is, can they ride that roller coaster all the way to a fantastic finish, or will they be overwhelmed with the pressure and expectations of winning a pre-season championship?